After weeks of guest hosts on 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� that included celebrities from TV, sports and journalism, the daily syndicated quiz show chose its executive producer, Mike Richards, as the successor to beloved host Alex Trebek.
But after fan backlash to a selection process that turned messy in recent weeks, producer Sony split the pie by naming another guest host, actor Mayim Bialik, as emcee for 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� prime-time and spinoff series, including a new college championship.
In another nod to 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� devotees, longest winning-streak champion Ken Jennings will return as a consulting producer.
Richards will retain executive producing duties for 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� and 鈥淲heel of Fortune,鈥� Sony Pictures Television said in a statement Wednesday. The studio also appeared to deflect the idea that it was bowing to the dismay that some fans expressed when word leaked last week that Richards would be the pick.
鈥淲e knew early on that we wanted to divide the hosting responsibilities and it became very clear that Mike and Mayim were the undeniable choices. They were both at the top of our research and analysis,鈥� said Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios for Sony Pictures. 鈥淲e took this decision incredibly seriously.鈥�
In his guest-host appearances, Ahuja said Richards was 鈥渁t ease behind the podium and a double threat as producer and host. Mayim has a wonderful energy, an innate sense of the game, and an authentic curiosity that naturally represents the 鈥楯eopardy!鈥� brand.鈥�
Richards was the second of the temp hosts who filled the void left by Trebek鈥檚 death, with 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� champs Jennings and Buzzy Cohen, actors Bialik and LeVar Burton, NFL player Aaron Rodgers and TV journalists among the others.
The studio didn鈥檛 break the game-show mold by choosing Richards. White male hosts have long been the convention, with a few women (among them Meredith Vieira, Jane Lynch, Leslie Jones) and a larger contingent of Black men (Wayne Brady, Steve Harvey, Anthony Anderson) making inroads in recent years.
Richards has an extensive, Emmy Award-winning game show resume. He was the executive producer of 鈥淭he Price is Right鈥� and 鈥淟et鈥檚 Make a Deal鈥� for more than a decade and produced the 2020 revival of 鈥淲ho Wants to Be a Millionaire.鈥� His on-camera experience includes hosting 鈥淭he Pyramid鈥� and 鈥淏eauty and the Geek,鈥� a reality show.
He joined 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� as the replacement for retiring executive producer Harry Friedman starting with the 2020-21 season, and was in the job for only a few months when Trebek, 80, died last November of pancreatic cancer.
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Jennings, who holds the record for most regular-game winnings with $2.52 million and the longest winning-streak, 74 games, had been considered a frontrunner, along with Cohen and Bialik (鈥淭he Big Bang Theory鈥�). Burton had his own chorus of supporters, including the petitioners whom he credits with getting him on the show last month.
Sony had been handing the transition gracefully: The show regularly saluted Trebek鈥檚 legacy, made charitable donations in his memory and framed the succession of guest hosts as a chance for viewers to adapt to change and, just maybe, have a hand in the choice.
In interviews, Richards portrayed himself as a relative bystander in the process, one who had stepped in as guest host only when needed.
When Variety reported last week that he was close to signing a deal, fans and observers questioned whether the supposed audition and selection process was a stunt, with the conclusion foregone. They also expressed doubt that Richards was right for the job.
There were other candidates with the gravitas and resume that 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� and its viewers deserve, said Andy Saunders, a longtime viewer and administrator for The Jeopardy! Fan website.
Richards will have to earn the respect already accorded to others who tried out, Saunders said. He鈥檒l still watch the show as the site鈥檚 operator, but said, 鈥淚 would certainly not begrudge any other viewer who would choose to tune out.鈥�
Filling the host鈥檚 job was never easy. Affection for the Canadian-born Trebek made finding a replacement both a gesture of regard for him as well as a business decision. Viewership shifted under the guest hosts, but 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� remains among the top-ranked syndicated programs.
Trebek helped build the show鈥檚 鈥渄isplay of excellence with his own excellence,鈥� said Deepak Sarma, a Case Western Reserve University professor and Netflix cultural consultant. 鈥淎nyone who is going to take his position will be judged in the end against this model of perfection.鈥�
When Richards spoke to The Associated Press in May, he asked that viewers give the new host a fair shot.
鈥淢y hope is that whoever is chosen will be given a chance to prove why they were chosen, without too much static,鈥� he said. 鈥淯ltimately, we are trying to put out the best product for our fans.鈥�
In a statement Wednesday, Richards said he was honored to be chosen for the job and promised to adhere to Trebek鈥檚 belief that 鈥渢he game itself and the contestants are the most important aspects of the show.鈥�
Bialik, who played a scientist on 鈥淭he Big Bang Theory鈥� sitcom and is one in real life, was among the fan favorites to succeed Trebek.
鈥淲hat started out with my 15-year-old repeating a rumor from Instagram that I should guest host the show has turned into one of the most exciting and surreal opportunities of my life!鈥� she said in a statement.
She鈥檒l be host of 鈥淛eopardy! National College Championship,鈥� which Sony announced Wednesday. The prime-time ABC show will feature 15 colleges from across the country competing over two weeks.
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Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
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